Anthropophobia
by InjuUchiha
Summary: Zexion, after his eighteenth birthday, is finally able to escape the place he'd spent the last six years of his life. But is college better or worse for him? Zemyx, slight AkuRoku and MarVex.


Birds were blessed with one of the few things humans could never obtain, no matter how hard they tried. And that was flight. Airplanes, helicopters, hang gliders, and other such things allowed for humans to glide up in the air, but never to truly fly. The human race lacked wings, the main implement that allowed for flight.

In this universe, though, humans _did_ have wings.

That didn't mean they could fly, though. Humans in this universe were just as grounded as in any other. Despite the wings, the human body, without the hollow bones of a bird, remained too heavy to lift off the ground.

Someone wasn't born with wings, either. In a way, they had to be earned. Just as when a person hits puberty, it shows maturity of the body, the growth of wings showed maturity of the mind. Humans with wings were more responsible, more reasonable, and had outgrown a child's state of mind. It was the passageway into being considered a full adult.

Some people never got their wings, and other had theirs extremely early. 'Old souls' were usually the only ones who had wings before roughly early twenties, but circumstances, such as raising a younger sibling alone at a young age, could start the growth.

Wings usually corresponded with the person's hair color. Brown, black, blond, red, and white made up ninety-five percent of natural wing colors. Many people who dyed their hair also had their wings treated, since the feathers would gray along with the person's hair as they aged. You could tell a bald person's hair color by looking at their wings.

On occasion, though, wings were oddly colored in accordance to an odd hair color, and in extremely rare cases, patterned. Tales of humans with patterned wings doing great things for humanity were favorites for adults to tell children.

After one such occasion, Zexion look at his kindergarten teacher's, Miss Aeris', red wings with admiration. They were medium sized wings, and they just looked so soft. Zexion wanted to reach out and stroke one so badly, but proper manners dictated that he didn't touch anyone's wings without their permission, and he didn't want to sound rude by asking.

Watching her ruffle them slightly to adjust to sitting in her chair, Zexion sighed. Wings were just so_ pretty_. He couldn't wait until he had his own. He would have his earlier than other kids, his Mother told him when he asked about hers, because was a mature, intelligent little boy.

At age twelve, Zexion stood facing a window, watching rain sheet down over it. As he put his hand up to touch the glass, it's coolness breaking through his mind's fog just a small bit, lightning flashed at almost the same time as thunder exploded above his house. The flash of light illuminated normally sharp, deep blue eyes, that were fogged over. His mind was back, thinking over all the times he had wished for his wings. How he wished he could go back and prevent himself from ever thinking that way. His right hand reached back over his left shoulder, feeling the small bump through his shirt that was the beginning of a wing.

The world suddenly coming back into sharp focus, Zexion's grip on the bump tightened until it hurt. He screamed, as loud as he could, his left hand curled into a fist at his side. These wings were a curse, he didn't want them, _he didn't want them!_

_"Zexion, I need you to come with me."_

The black-haired man had smiled as he entered the classroom, pulling Zexion from his science class. He had been kind, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder as he ripped his world to shreds.

_"I have some bad news for you."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Your parents are gone."_

Zexion had laughed, feigned misunderstanding. This couldn't be happening to him, right? There's no way it could be real.

_"What do you mean, gone? They weren't planning on taking a trip. Who are you, anyway?"_

_"I'm a social worker, with child services. I'm taking care of you now. I'll find you a place to stay and check up on you every so often."_

_"Why do I need a place to stay? I live at home."_

_"Zexion, I'm sorry, but your parents...They're dead. They were in a car crash."_

Just like that, his world stopped. Thinking about his future, the weight of the world suddenly seemed to rest on his shoulders. The black-haired man said something to him, but he didn't hear. What would happen to him? His mind was spinning. He didn't have any direct relatives to take care of him...Was the man taking him to live with him? No, that wasn't possible. He'd never seen this guy before. His whirling mind suddenly overwhelming him, his vision fuzzed out, and he groaned. He felt himself lifted right before it blacked out completely.

* * *

><p>Zexion stood with his back to the road, looking at the place he'd spent the last six years of his life. The worst six years of his life. But he had filled out all the paper work, the hours of paper work, and now he was free. He was eighteen as if yesterday, and he was finally out.<p>

Looking at the building from the outside, it really was gorgeous. Gray stone walls, ivy climbing up them, and a sizeable front lawn. It was well-kept, too. No, Zack had found him a good place to live, but it could never come close to a home. To have a family taken from a child when they were so young...Zexion despised it, was angry every time a new child was brought to the orphanage.

He closed his eyes, pulling his large, lilac-hues wings close against his back, fists tightening. The people who abandoned their children, those were the people he hated the worst. Condemning their child to a life at an orphanage...They disgusted him.

He sighed, shifting his face so his lilac bangs fell over his right eye, then straightened back up. Sweeping his eyes once more across the children playing in the yard, his eyes settled on one little boy, sitting under a tree by himself, watching the others play. Smiling bitterly, he wished the boy luck in life and turned around to face the street. Turned his back on what had been his life, determined to make his own way in the world.

Zack was waiting for him, so he climbed into the passenger seat of the midnight blue Toyota Tundra, throwing his bag into the back.

"Where we headed, kid?" the cheerful man asked, leaning back in his seat and looking at Zexion, one arm draped over the steering wheel.

"Radiant Garden University," Zexion replied quietly, not making eye contact.

"Woah! I knew you had good grades, Zex, but did you actually make it in?" Zack was look incredulously at Zexion, who continued to stare out the windshield.

"They accepted me with a full scholarship." A scholarship he had worked his ass off to get all through high school, knowing if he didn't then he'd never get out.

Zack's pitch black wings extended outward as much as the truck seat would allow in his excitement. "That's - That's _great!_ You'll be able to do whatever you want! What are you gonna major in?"

"I don't know exactly, yet," Zexion said honestly. "But, I think, pre-med."

Zack smiled softly, genuinely. "Good for you." A split second later, he was practically bouncing. "Well! Let's get you to RGU, shall we?"

The hour and a half long drive was awkward for Zexion, who stayed silent for the most part, listening to Zack chatter about whatever entered his mind. Eventually, though, the reached the campus. The two spent a good half hour looking for Zexion's dorm, but when the finally found it, Zack looked around with a fresh wave of amazement.

"Where's your roommate?"

"I don't have one."

Zack was stunned. "How the _hell_ did you get way with that? Especially at a school like this?"

Zexion looked around at the practically empty room, then glanced at the small bag containing all his possessions. "I asked. I was surprised myself that they agreed so easily, but I said I would be able to work better if I had my own room, so they gave me one."

"You, my friend, have some wicked luck." Zack grinned. Looking around though, he grimaced, the spread his wings out as far as they could go, throwing his arms to the side as well. The black wings extended almost twice the length of his arms, one of the largest wingspans Zexion had ever seen. "But it's so _empty!_" he practically yelled. "C'mon, Zex, let's go shopping! We'll make this dorm into your home in no time."

Zexion, blue eyes wide, backed away, his wings pulled tight against his back. "N-No, Zack, thanks, but that's really not necessary. I'm eighteen, I'm not your responsibility anymore. You don't need to spend any more money on me."

Zack pouted, wings dropping to drag on the ground. "But Zexion," he whined, "I'm not doing it 'cause I have to, I'm doing it 'cause I want to. And besides, I've gotten kinda attached to you the past six years. You're like my little brother!" Zexion twitched. No one could pull a puppy-dog expression like Zack, and even after six years of trying to keep the man from spoiling him, he still caved.

"Fine. But everything has to go through me first, and nothing expensive is allowed." He wasn't quick enough to avoid the bone-crushing hug that followed.

The next several hours the two spent at multiple malls, clothing stores, and other random stores they happened across. Zack suggested almost everything in sight, regardless of the price, and Zexion shot almost everything down. But by evening, they had accumulated enough to make the dorm room comfortable and not so empty.

Zexion was restless that night, alone in his dorm room. He had always sought out solitude at the orphanage, but as he got older, it became harder to find. He helped out the woman who owned the orphanage more and more, and read to some of the more quiet kids occasionally.

But now that he had that solitude, he found it slightly disquieting, to his surprise. He had expected to immediately settle into his new routine. But no. Nothing could ever be easy, not for him. He shuddered slightly, thinking of how his first class would go tomorrow. Even in college, very few kids had their wings, and jealousy made for bitter classmates. He rolled over under the navy blue quilt, closing his eyes tightly.

He had made it through high school. Nothing anyone threw at him could faze him. Not anymore.

* * *

><p>Zexion adjusted his plain black t-shirt one last time before stepping out of his dorm and into the hallway. Making his way out of the building and across the grounds toward where his class was, he shifted his wings nervously. There was no way to cover them up, but wearing a dark colored shirt usually helped draw less attention to them than if he wore something they would stand out against, like white. He was headed to his Calculus class, and the familiar subject was a small comfort.<p>

When he opened the door to the rather large classroom, he knew what to expect. The quiet was not immediate. It took a few minutes, during which Zexion walked toward his selected seat, looking straight forward and being careful not to make eye contact with anyone. His wings pulled tight against his back, as if he were trying to draw them into his body.

A hush fell over the other students, but it wasn't silent. Silence in a college classroom before class actually started was probably a very rare thing, Zexion decided. Taking his seat, he pulled a book out of his bag and set to reading, doing his best to block everything else out.

Finally, someone broke the ice. Someone in the back row opened his mouth and jeered. "Hey, pretty boy! What's the problem, too good for us? I suppose someone like you would be, wings and all." Zexion refused to look back at the person, but the taunting tone of voice was all he needed to see the expression in his mind. The boy would probably be smirking and self-confident. The first ones to speak always were.

"Axel, you don't even know him, so lay off," another voice spoke. It wasn't what Zexion had expected to hear from anyone, and his curiosity peaked, he turned just enough to pinpoint the voice.

His sight landed on a blond boy, his back to Zexion, with small blond wings on his back. They were barely more than just sprouted, so obviously the boy had begun to mature, but the person he was speaking to had no hint of wings. He had shockingly red hair and green eyes, so he stood out in the crowd quite easily.

"Roxas, why do you care? He just some kid. And he probably is some stuck-up snob. All the ones that have full wings are," a third voice spoke. It belonged to the boy sprawled out on a table next to the redhead, and when he sat up, Zexion was taken aback, almost laughed, at the ridiculous hairstyle. Standing up on top of his head and then laying against his neck in long dirty-blond strands the rest of the way, Zexion was at a loss as to what to call it.

He smirked at Zexion, noticing he was being watched, and proceeded to flip him off. "What, something to say? Gonna argue, huh?"

Rather than retaliate, Zexion simply turned back around and started reading again. Students filtered in for the next ten minutes, before finally the professor arrived. The doors slammed closed behind him and he wasted no time, beginning to talk as he walked to his desk at the front of the room.

"Everyone get into a seat, and I mean a chair, not a table and not the floor. Sit down, and then shut up. Class is starting, and if you're going to do well in this class then you'd better learn to do as I say, and quickly."

Zexion felt an automatic respect for the black-haired man up front. He was tall, thin, and rather handsome, seeing as his black hair was stylishly messy. His glasses accented the whole thing, making him look more like a businessman than a college professor. The wings on his back were an even more jet black than Zack's; something Zexion hadn't thought was possible.

The professor's glasses glinted as his gaze settled on Zexion's lilac wings. "Ahh, a freshmen with wings. I've had ones like you before, only about twice, but I didn't like either of them. Would you like to know why?"

Zexion kept eye contact with the professor, expression perfectly blank. He didn't open his mouth to answer, sensing the rhetoric question. The rest of the class, now, was perfectly silent.

"Children that get their wings are brought up with special treatment," he said, now addressing the whole class. "They usually grow up thinking very highly of themselves and see others without wings as inferior to them. Especially children whose wings are not an ordinary color. This boy is a prime example. Judging by the fact that he chose to sit where he did and was reading when I entered, I'll take a fair guess that he doesn't socialize very well, if it all. This could be for one of two reasons: either he doesn't know how, or he considers you all below him."

Zexion, disagreeing with everything being said but not able to dispute it without making it sound more true, lowered his head and let his fringe fall over his face.

For the duration of the class, he did what he had always done in school. Listened to the lecture, took notes, and absorbed everything he could.

Finally, at the end of the class, the professor stopped and looked over the students. "Right, I almost forgot. I'm Mr. Ootori. Before anyone asks, my first name is Kyouya, and no, you may not address me by my first name."

* * *

><p>Zexion exited the classroom as quickly as he could, but not before the boys from the beginning of class had sighted him. The redhead and dirty blond approached him with no fear, the blond trailing behind them and looking around nervously as he saw their target. "Guys, this is wrong," he started, but the redhead shot him a scathing look over his shoulder.<p>

"Roxy, Roxy, Roxy," he said exasperatedly. "Look, you don't have to stay. Go find Sora or Namine or someone, but let Dem and I have our fun."

"I'm not leaving!" the blond protested, horrified. "Then no one would be there to stop you!"

"Roxas, calm down already!" the dirty-blond finally interjected. "What do you think we're gonna do to him? I just wanna, you know, chat. See if what Mr. Ootori tells us is true, you know?"

By this time they'd caught up with Zexion, and the two larger boys herded him against the brick wall of a building. "Pretty boy," the redhead addressed, leaning with one hand against the wall casually. The dirty-blond was on the other side, mimicking the position. The blond hung back, obviously uncomfortable with what was going on, Zexion noted.

The situation didn't worry him; he'd been in much the same one multiple times before. He just kept his expression blank and kept the redhead's piercing stare. He offered them no response, simply waited for them to tell him what they wanted.

"What's your name?" the dirty-blond asked a few moments later, and Zexion shifted his gaze to the other boy's, admittedly pretty, teal eyes.

"Zexion," he answered quietly.

"Zexion, Zexion," the boy said, testing it out. "Weird. Then again, not like I can talk. Demyx. The idiot over there is Axel, and little blondie is Roxas."

Well, that was certainly...Different from the other times he'd been in this situation. The other boys were being kind. But Zexion was smart, and he could sense the almost condescending way he was being viewed by the boys cornering him. "Pleasure," he muttered sarcastically, and regretted it a moment later when Demyx and Axel's expressions darkened at the tone of voice.

"Well, looks like the Profess wasn't lying," Axel said. Zexion was surprised the redhead didn't crack his knuckles, but he suddenly got the feeling this was going to end up much worse than the other times he'd been cornered. "Those wings of yours are pretty cool. But don't think they're gonna get you any special attention here, pretty boy."

* * *

><p>"Zexion~ I brought dinner! How was your first day?" Zack barged into Zexion's dorm that night, grinning like an over-excited parent who'd just picked up their kid from their first day at kindergarten. He stopped in his tracks when Zexion groaned, noticing the boy's figure curled up in the bed. "Hey, Zex! Something wrong?"<p>

"M'fine," Zexion mumbled, poking his head out from under the covers. Unfortunately for him, the light filtering in from the hallway through the still open door allowed Zack to see that his normally well-kept hair was matted and looked dirty, he had a black eye, and his jaw was swollen on the left side. The black-haired man set the food he had brought down on the table, hurrying to the side of the bed to inspect the damage.

"Care to explain why there's dried blood in your hair?" Zack said, taking on a completely serious tone that was strange when compared to his usual cheeriness.

"It's nothing important. Got a little roughed up. Hazing, you know?" He tried to laugh it off, but his ribs hurt and he ended up coughing.

"A little roughed up my ass. You look horrible. How many were there? Ten?"

"Two," Zexion replied. "Three, actually, but the third was trying to get the other two to stop."

Zack scowled and attempted to pull the teenager up off his bed, but stop when he noticed Zexion wince. "Come on. Let's go report them. You remember what they look like, right?"

"No."

"Oh, come on, Zex, you must."

"I mean, no, we're not going to report them," Zexion burrowed back underneath the covers Zack had moved, closing his eyes.

The older of the two crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh yes we are. You need to show the kids on this campus that you won't allow them to mess with you, especially this bad."

"Zack, _no_." Zexion glared at his once-guardian with all the force he had. "What I _need_ is to keep low and inconspicuous. Drawing attention to myself by getting those boys in trouble will do nothing but add to the appeal of beating me up. Everything's fine, but I'd appreciate you leave."

Zack stubbornly sat down in one of the small chairs. "There's no way I'm leaving. You can't make me. And neither can the staff, since you're hurt."

Recognizing Zack had resorted to stubborn-child-mode, Zexion sighed and gave up. "Fine. But don't expect anything from me tomorrow morning. I don't have a class until six in the afternoon, and I have no intentions of getting up anytime before three."

* * *

><p>It was almost a month later Zexion's 'blending in' strategy failed once again, with the same boys. He had been out to get his evening meal when the redhead, Axel, he recalled, spotted him and, after pointing him out to his two friends, the group hurried over to him. The two larger boys looked excited to see him, and two any passers-by, it would simply look like four friends meeting up. But Zexion cringed when he heard his name called out, recognizing the voice and resisting the urge to run. He knew that would only make it worse, though, and turned to meet the three boys. The wings on the blond's back, he noticed, had grown in the month since he'd last seen him, and he looked unhappy about the situation.<p>

The other two, though...

Well, they looked ecstatic to have found him, yet Zexion was anything but.

"Zexion," Demyx said, smug smile pulling the ends of his lips up.

"Demyx," the smaller boy said quietly, tipping his head in the other's direction, before repeating it with the other two. "Axel, Roxas." Remembering what had sparked the fight last night, he was careful to keep his voice toneless.

"Aww, pretty boy, you remembered!" Axel said, opening his arms as if he were about to hug Zexion. But his slightly narrowed poison-green eyes betrayed his intentions, and it wasn't something Zexion missed.

Zexion didn't respond, instead opting to look at the ground, hoping that if he gave no reaction, they would get bored and leave him in peace.

"Come on, guys, let's go," Roxas said, stepping between Zexion and Axel and attempting to shove the redhead backward. He scowled up at the larger boy when he didn't move, only smirked down. "Why do you want to torment him, anyway?"

"'Cause he makes it so easy," Demyx said boredly, answering for Axel. "Who doesn't like easy prey?"

Roxas turned his icy glare on Demyx. "He's done nothing to you. You only even targeted him because of what Mr. Ootori said that first day."

"Wrong, Roxy," Axel disagreed. "That added fuel to the fire, but what really started us going was his lovely wings." As he spoke, he reached out to touch the soft lilac feathers, and Zexion jerked away before he could make contact.

"And the obvious attitude problem," Demyx sneered. "Won't even let us feel the wings that get him so much attention."

"You both need to grow up," Zexion finally spoke up, not able to listen to another word silently. "You shouldn't assume things about people you know nothing about. The only one of the three of you with an ounce of intelligence is Roxas. That's obvious, though, seeing as he's the only one that has his wings, isn't it?"

His dark blue eyes looked up to lock with Demyx's teal gaze, determination shining. "Makes complete sense, though, to ignore the only mature one in your group. Why are the two of you even in college? Seems like your type would be the kind to stay home with your parents, lay on the couch, and watch TV while getting fat. But I guess the temptation of tormenting someone who's done nothing wrong is just too great of an allure. There, I have your opinion of me, and you have mine of you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have homework to attend to."

Zexion turned on his heel and attempted to walk away, strides long and quick, but before he'd taken two steps a hand fisted in the hair at the back of his head and pulled him backwards, throwing him on the ground. Demyx grabbed the front of his shirt and, bending down, lifted his torso off the ground and leveled his gaze with Zexion's.

"You superior little shit," he hissed, before a fist connected with Zexion's jaw. Demyx released his shirt, Zexion's head hit the ground, and his vision blacked out.

When his eyes opened, the first thing he noticed was shining blond hair. _'Did they kill me?'_ he thought lightly, but immediately dismissed the idea. Beautiful blue eyes soon accompanied the hair, and then a simple, yet elegant, white dress. Zexion groaned, looking up at the petite girl leaning over him. The beautiful pale golden wings on her back almost dwarfed her small frame, and Zexion's eyes widened as she smiled.

"Oh good, you're finally awake!"

Zexion sat up, looking at his surroundings with puzzlement. He was obviously in a dorm room, but it was certainly not his.

"Where am I, and who are you?" A hand went to massage his temples, trying to ease the pounding headache he had.

"I'm Namine." The girl smiled again, making her look somewhat angelic. "You're in my older brother Marluxia's dorm room. He's a junior here, and that's how you got here, too. He carried you."

"...Carried me? Why?"

The girl laughed softly. "Well we couldn't just leave you lying unconscious outside, could we?"

"Well then...Thank you." Zexion tipped his head, then swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, a bit wobbly but able to keep his balance well enough. "I'm Zexion, by the way." He stretched, ignoring the pain all over his body in favor of savoring the release of tension from his wings, since he'd been laying on them for so long, as he opened and flexed them.

He was in that position when the door opened, and the figure gasped before rushing over and suddenly, Zexion was enveloped in strong arms, someone nuzzling the top of his head. "Oh, you poor little freshmen! I don't understand how they could be so cruel to you! Especially when you're so _cute!_" He felt something else wrap around him that felt suspiciously like wings, as well.

Shocked, Zexion pushed on the man's chest, though he was not released. "Excuse me, but if you could please _refrain from touching me!_"

Just like that, he was released, and allowed a proper look at the man. Zexion blinked at the pink hair and blue eyes as the man swooped down in an elegant bow, one arm out to the side and pink wings opened wide to complete the display. He looked up and winked, smirking. "Marluxia, at your service, Zexion."

Fifteen minutes later found Zexion cradling a cup of tea, sitting at a table in the dorm lounge, listening to Namine and Marluxia explain how they'd found him and knew who he was.

"Roxas has been a close friend of mine since I came to live with Marluxia's family," Namine explained, smiling fondly at the older man, who grinned back and ruffled her hair. "He's been my brother since I was five, when his parents decided to adopt me to give him a little sister."

"I'm the best big brother she could have asked for. No one could have been better than me!" Marluxia said airily, waving one hand in the air and leaning back in his chair.

Namine rolled her eyes, but continued. "He's conceited, narcissistic, obnoxious, and perverted, but he's right. He's actually a great brother."

"I beat up the boys that hurt my little sis."

"Not the point, Marly. Anyway, Roxas lived next door, so he and I grew up together. He texted me earlier and said Axel and Demyx had a new target, and that he'd really managed to piss Demyx off," Namine continued, back to the point.

"Which is really a feat. Demyx is really laid back usually," Marluxia interjected. "Not many people can piss him off, so good job."

"Roxas said he'd tried to stop Axel, but didn't manage it, but once he saw how furious Dem was, he took off. We hurried to where he told us, and Marly had to literally pull Demyx off you. I talked with Roxas then, while he calmed Demyx down, and we decided the best thing to do was bring you back to Marluxia's dorm, since we didn't know where yours was."

Zexion nodded slowly, trying to comprehend everything he was telling her. "Wait, so, you were adopted, which means being in an orphanage. That's why you have your wings, isn't it?"

Namine nodded, but noticed the bitterness in his voice. "I imagine it was much easier for me than it was for you. Marluxia was always ready to beat up anyone who so much as looked at me wrong. That's why they singled you out, you know, because of your wings."

"I know," Zexion sighed. "But it's not as if there's anything I can do about them. I'll just have to avoid your friends."

"Roxas will keep Axel from bothering you anymore. But..." she stopped and bit her lip, looking to the side, shame obvious on her features.

Marluxia finished for her. "You should watch out for Demyx. He was just playing with you before, but now he's got an actual grudge. Try to stay out of situations where you're alone with him."

"Don't worry, I will," Zexion assured. "I had intended to, anyway."

* * *

><p>One week later, Zexion stared at his professor in disbelief. "Mr. Ootori, you don't understand, I really just <em>can't do that-<em>"

"You can and you will, Mr. Crysh. You're grade is the highest in the class right now, and Mr. Akret is close to failing. I want you to tutor him, and if you don't, I will take twenty points from all of your tests for the rest of the semester."

Zexion was horrified. Was it even legal for him to do that? Zexion didn't know, but looking at the boy's first name, he was afraid. "You can't _do that_, force your student into tutoring another."

"Can't I?" His glasses flashed as he looked up from where he was sitting, writing in his ever-present black notebook. A small smirk tugged the corners of his lips, and Zexion found himself at a loss for words.

"...Fine," he finally relented, shoulders slumping in defeat. "When do I start?"

"Good boy," Mr. Ootori said flatly. "This is his dorm number. I told him to expect his tutor at four this afternoon."

Resignedly, Zexion took the slip of paper with the dorm address on it, and left the classroom. It was only ten thirty; he'd have plenty of time to wait around and ask Marluxia about his newest predicament involving Demyx. He'd been able to avoid him so far, but their teacher was out to get him, it seemed.

Zexion tentatively knocked on the door of the junior's dorm, hoping he was there and not at class, or out with his friends. Sure, Marluxia had told him to stop by if anything happened, but Zexion was nervous about actually approaching the older man.

The door opened, and after a noise of surprise, Zexion was being hugged again. "Marluxia, remember what I said about touching me?" Zexion said softly, struggling to get away.

Marluxia released him sheepishly. "Right. Come on in. What's up?"

Zexion entered the dorm, immediately noticing a blond he hadn't seen before. His hair was straight and, when he turned, he revealed intelligent emerald eyes. His wings were on the smaller size, but obviously full-grown.

"Hello," he said simply, then returned to what he was doing. As Zexion sat down, he spoke again. "I see you've found a freshmen, Marluxia. Not cheating on me again, are you?"

The pink-haired man gasped and brought a hand to his chest dramatically. "Never, Vexen! How could you think such a thing of me!" Striding over to where he was, he draped himself over the other man. "You're the only one I love, Vexy, and don't you ever dare think differently!"

Marluxia was ungraciously shoved off as the blond walked toward Zexion. "Vexen," he said, right hand outstretched.

Zexion took it unsurely. "Zexion."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Zexion. I'm Marluxia's boyfriend. I apologize if he invades your personal space, it's just something he does to everyone. He has no consideration for things like that."

"Vexen~" Marluxia whined and pouted from behind him. "Why you gotta say things like that, huh? You make me sound so bad..."

"Because you _are,_" Vexen shot over his shoulder, then retrieved a cup of steaming liquid and took a sip. "Would you like a cup of tea, Zexion?"

"No thank you, I'm fine," he declined, then turned his attention to the still pouting Marluxia. "I need to talk to you," he said. "It's about Demyx."

Marluxia immediately became serious, and Vexen's looked interested. "What happened? Did he threaten you or anything?"

"No, nothing like that," Zexion said, shaking his head. "It's worse."

"Worse?"

"Mr. Ootori is forcing me to tutor him three day a week." Zexion stared at the floor, not wanting to meet Marluxia's gaze.

The older man scowled. "He always was a hard-ass. Can he even do that?" he asked, aiming the question at Vexen.

"I have no idea," the other responded. "But why is it such a big deal?"

"This is the kid Demyx has been fuming about the past few days," Marluxia offered as an explaining.

"The 'superior bitch'?"

"The very same."

Vexen looked critically at Zexion, who withdrew into himself further under the scrutiny.

Marluxia ran a hand through his hair, disturbing the spikes from their neat positions. "I don't know how to help you out of this one, Zex."

"Simple," Vexen supplied suddenly. "Go with him the first time, and make it clear in the beginning that if Demyx hurts him, he'll be the one in pain later. Then leave, and pick Zexion up just to make sure that he's fine."

"Okay, sounds like it'll work," Marluxia agreed, and so did Zexion. "What day and what times?"

Zexion frowned, recalling when he had to start. "I begin today. Four to five thirty."

Marluxia nodded. "Alright then. Come on over here at three thirty. We'll get you mentally prepped, then I'll take you to Demyx's dorm."

* * *

><p>At three thirty exactly, Zexion knocked on the junior's door for the second time that day. When it swung open, Marluxia greeted him with a huge smile. "Ready for you tuoring session?"<p>

"Not really," Zexion sighed. "Let's just get this over with."

"Alright." Marluxia leaned in the doorway, completely serious. "I'm going to take you to Demyx's dorm, and when we get there, we're going to go in. I'm sure he'll be shocked to see me, since probably doesn't realize you've been more than introduced to me. I'm going to tell him that anything he does to you, I'm going to do to him tenfold. He'll also be informed that I will be back to pick you and walk you back to your dorm at five thirty. I'm bigger than he is, and I've beaten him in fights before, so I'm pretty sure he'll leave you alone. Sound good?" Zexion nodded. "Then let's go. We'll be a little early, but hey, never hurts."

It only took a few minutes for the pair to walk to Demyx's dorm, which was in the freshmen building, just like Zexion's, but at the other end. Marluxia knocked, and without waiting for an answer, opened the door and stepped in.

"Hey, you must be- Marly? What're you doing here? Look, I'm waiting for someone, so I can't hang out," Demyx said. He was sitting in a rolling chair at a desk, laptop with a Word document open on it. He had turned in the chair, one arm draped over the back as he looked at Marluxia.

"I'm aware. You're waiting for your tutor," Marluxia provided.

Demyx's brow crinkled. "Yeah, but how'd you-" He stopped speaking as Zexion entered the room behind Marluxia, coming to stand level with the older man, but keeping his gaze on the floor somewhere between himself and Demyx. "You."

"Yes, Demyx," Marluxia said, not giving Zexion a chance to speak. He set one hand on the younger boy's shoulder, giving Demyx a sharp look. "Zexion is your tutor, seeing as your professor is a dick. Now listen here, and listen good." Demyx glared at his friend, scowling, but made no attempt to protest. "If you so much as lay a finger on him in a threatening way, rest assured that I will hurt you twice as bad when I come to pick him up."

Demyx's voice was dry when he spoke. "You're dropping him off and picking him up. Does Vexen know? I don't think he'd be very happy about this arrangement."

"Don't give me sass, boy, I will beat your ass. And of course Vexen knows. I think he and Zexion will get along quite well, actually. He appreciates people who are mature, which Zexion here most definitely is."

Zexion stiffened under the indirect mention of his wings. Marluxia seemed like he was trying to make the dirty-blond mad, and Zexion couldn't understand why.

"Look, I get it," Demyx ground out. "I won't touch him. Okay? You can leave now."

Marluxia nodded at the dismissal, squeezing the shoulder under his hand as he turned toward the door. "The others weren't kidding, you really do piss him off simply with your presence. He should leave you alone, though. Good luck." With one more sharp look at Demyx, he left, and door clicking closed behind him.

Zexion felt the absence quickly and heavily, the sense of security he provided suddenly gone. He heard the dirty-blond get up and walk over to him and forced himself to look up and meet the other's eyes.

"So. Zexion." Demyx's eyes were narrowed and he looked murderous. "I'm going to assume you really didn't want to do this and were forced into it."

"Correct," Zexion clipped out.

"Well," the menacing figure suddenly retreated to sit on his bed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't like you, obviously. But, I'm failing, and I really do need the help. It's not for lack of trying, honestly. So... Truce?" He tried to offer the smaller boy a smile, but it came off as strained and false, which it was. He held out his hand anyway.

Zexion looked at him blankly. "You expect that after tormenting me for roughly the last month, I'll be willing to drop my dislike for you to help you pass a class."

Demyx's fake smile dropped. "Well, when you put it like that..."

"Unfortunately for me, I'm being forced into this, under threat of points being deducted from all my tests for the rest of the year. So, yes, truce. But don't expect me to be nice."

Demyx scowled, but nodded. "Fair enough."

Zexion walked over to the bed, slinging his bag off his back and digging for his textbook, then sitting down next to Demyx and starting to try and get a feel for what Demyx was misunderstanding.

When Marluxia arrived an hour and a half later, he stared as the two younger boys shook hands. Zexion didn't smile, but after walking towards the door, he turned and nodded his head at Demyx before addressing Marluxia. "You won't need to escort me again, or to my dorm. I'm sure you have your own schedule, after all. Thank you for watching out for me, though," he said as he closed the door.

"What happened in there?" Marluxia asked, dumbstruck.

"We called a truce, and I gave him his lesson. He's not stupid, I just think he misunderstood a few major points. I've explained them to him, and he's already made progress. I don't think he'll hurt me anymore."

"I'd still watch your back, Zex," Marluxia warned, before turning around to pound on Demyx's door. "Don't think you're off the hook! My threat still stands!"

"Whatever, Marly!" echoed back through the door, and Marluxia crossed his arms over his chest.

"Little snot," he said fondly. "Well, if you're sure then, Zex, I'll see you later."

Zexion nodded and offered a small smile and, to his pleasure, Marluxia didn't attempt to crush him with a hug, but turned and waved over his shoulder as he walked back towards his own dorm, Zexion in the other direction toward his own.

* * *

><p>Next Monday, Zexion was taken off guard when Roxas slid into the spot next to him in their Calculus class. They still had about ten minutes before class would officially start, and Roxas wasted no time.<p>

"I just wanted to apologize for my friends, since neither of them will," he said, lifting his eyes from the table to glance at Zexion.

"There's no need for you to apologize, Roxas," Zexion said quietly. "There was nothing else you could have done. And I'm extremely grateful for you having called Namine and Marluxia. Thank you for that."

Roxas laughed quietly. "Namine wasn't lying, you do seem polite to a fault. But really, they were assholes, Demyx especially. He's not usually like that."

"So Marluxia has told me." Zexion offered the blond a small smile, and received one in return. Looking behind him, Zexion saw Demyx sprawled on a table, not paying attention to anything, but Axel was glaring daggers at the back of Roxas' head. "I think you'd better get back to your friends before Axel has a conniption," he said.

Roxas turned, and when his sight fell on the redhead, he smirked, winked, and settled further in his chair. "Nah. I like talking to you. I think I'll sit here today, if you're okay with it."

Zexion snickered at the disbelieving gape on Axel's face. "No, you're more than welcome. I don't mind at all."

That afternoon, Zexion arrived at Demyx's dorm room at exactly four. To his surprise, Demyx was sitting outside the door, head in his hands. He picked his head up at the sound of Zexion's footsteps, and he looked miserable. At the questioning look, he pointed at the door. "Listen."

Zexion put his ear to the door, and a moment later jumped back, disgusted.

"My roommate has his boyfriend over," Demyx offered as an explanation. "I figured we could just have the session in the lounge instead?"

Zexion shook his head. "You won't be able to focus in the lounge. I don't have a roommate to worry about, so we'll go back to my dorm. But just for today." He didn't particularly want to show Demyx where his room was, but so far the boy had honored his word and had left Zexion alone, so he figured no real harm could come from it.

Demyx nodded, and stood to follow Zexion to the other end of the building.

Unfortunately for Zexion, he had forgotten about the other guest he quite often found in his dorm room. When he opened the room, Zack was sitting on his bed, playing with some child's brainteaser toy.

"Zex!" he said when Zexion opened the door, springing up and rushing to hug the teenager. "Where've you been? I thought you got out of class at noon, and I've been waiting for you to come back since then!"

"I was at the library, and then I would've been longer, but I had to bring Demyx here for his tutoring session since his dorm was...Occupied," he finished. "So, I would appreciate it if you would leave." He walked further into the room, Demyx trailing behind him and giving the black-haired man a strange look.

"Your brother or something?" he asked, but changed his mind when he noticed the pout on the man's face at being told to leave. "Or your boyfriend?"

"Please refrain from putting such disgusting mental images into my brain," Zexion muttered. "He was my guardian, in a way, while I was growing up. Why he insists on sticking around now that I'm eighteen, I don't know. Zack, out!"

Demyx watched in slight amusement while Zack gave Zexion his best puppy-dog eyes and Zexion, rubbing a hand down his face, standing in front of the door to keep it, pointed with his other hand out into the hallway. "You've been doing that to me since I was twelve, and I'm no longer affected." Which wasn't entirely true. Most of the time, Zack's puppy-dog eyes still got him what he wanted, but not when Zexion had something he actually needed to do. "I need to teach Demyx, so you need to leave."

At the mention of the name, Zack grinned and strode over to the other college freshmen. "Demyx, huh? I'm Zack Fair! Sorry you got stuck with Zex as your tutor. He has a stick up his ass, but once you get him to loosen up, he's a good guy, I promise."

"Zack. Out. Now." Zexion's voice was flat, but at the same time, showing his obvious irritation. Finally relenting, Zack waved at Demyx, stuck his tongue out at Zexion, and left. Zexion slammed the door closed after him.

"I apologize for him," he started as he sat on his bed and motioned for Demyx to join him. "Zack likes to appear at random times and annoy me."

"Don't worry about it." Demyx settled next to his tutor, textbook on his lap. "He seems like he just wants what's best for you."

"Oh, he does. But I'm not twelve anymore, and I don't need his protection." He glanced at Demyx. "Except, maybe, from people like you."

Demyx bristled, scowling. "Hey. I'm really not that bad. Axel's the real asshole, he-"

"And the fact that your willing to stab your friend in the back to prove your a good person only proves my point." Zexion looked at Demyx with cold blue eyes. "Someone who actually wanted to convince me they're not an ass would do best to admit that what'd they'd done was wrong."

"Let's just start with the damn lesson," Demyx bit out, eyes narrowed.

"Of course"

* * *

><p>The next few months passed by quickly. Zexion could easily say he considered Roxas, Namine, Marluxia, and Vexen his friends. However, being with them also usually encompassed being with Demyx and Axel, as well. (Zack accompanied them sometimes, but less and less often as he got an assignment to watch over a new kid. Zexion mentally wished the kid luck handling Zack.) Axel and Zexion simply didn't get along. They pissed each other off, and separating the two before someone - Zexion, mainly - got hurt had become common.<p>

Demyx and Zexion, though, went out of their way to avoid each other. Marluxia kept his threat of hurting Demyx if anything happened to Zexion very much alive all through winter, reminding him at least a few times a week. The only time they met up and made an effort to get along was at Demyx's tutoring sessions.

It was at one of these sessions in early spring when Demyx approached a subject Zexion had carefully avoided all winter.

"So how come Zack was your guardian from the time you were twelve?"

Zexion stiffened. "Uh, well. It's not really some thing I like to talk about."

"But it's the reason you have your wings, isn't it?" When he wanted to be, Demyx was extremely observant. It annoyed Zexion to no end that he noticed little things that most would miss.

"Yes, it is. If you must know, my parents were killed in a car crash when I was twelve. Zack was assigned to me, seeing as I didn't have any direct relatives to go live with. I stayed in an orphanage through middle and high school, until I turned eighteen and was able to come here. The realization that my parents were gone was enough on its own to start my wings growing, and then practically raising myself caused me to mature at an extremely young age."

Demy was dumbstruck to the point of his mouth hanging open. "No way. I figured he was, like, your nanny or something since your rich parents were never home, and, and...That's _horrible._"

"Nice to see after all these months of torment you're finally willing to find out the _actual_ reason behind why you've tormented me," Zexion said dryly.

"I haven't so much as touched you since the second month of school!" Demyx protested, looking offended.

"You've been under threat of a harsh beating via Marluxia if you so much as touched me since the second month of school." The smaller boy looked up at Demyx through his bangs, hurt and distrust shining in them. "Even Axel's finally starting to get his wings, Demyx, but look at you. You still as immature as the first day you and Axel corned me after class. You just assumed that since I had wings, I was stuck up and needed to be knocked off my high horse, and even after, never bothered to find out the real reason why I had my wings so early. You're the kind of person I want no association with, whatsoever."

Demyx's face was blank when Zexion finished. Silently, he gathered his things off Zexion's bed, shouldered his bag, and stalked to the door. "No association. I can do that." He slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Zexion sitting on his bed, textbook still open in his lap.

* * *

><p>After his spat with Demyx, for reasons he couldn't explain, Zexion found himself spending less and less time with the people who had, over the school year, become his friends. He didn't visit Marluxia and Vexen, didn't bother arguing with Axel, didn't seek out Namine for her calm company, and didn't beckon Roxas over to sit with him in any of the surprising number of classes they shared. And he went out of his way to avoid Demyx, who must have been doing the same, since he barely ever even caught glimpses of him outside classes.<p>

Zexion glanced at his cell phone as it started to vibrate and sing, the ring tone letting him know it was Vexen, but he simply ignored it and turned his attention back to his textbook. It stopped, then started again a moment later, with a different ring tone. _'Because if I didn't answer Vexen I'll definitely answer Axel,'_ he thought to himself, shaking his head.

The third ring tone let him know it was Namine, and even though normally he would give in and answer when she tried him, he simply grabbed his phone, hit the 'Ignore' button on the side, and then quickly turned it off before a fourth one of his friends called.

Unfortunately for Zexion, by this point in the year, they knew him too well, and his door was opening before he'd even had a chance to set his phone down. In the hall stood the entire group, with the exception of Demyx.

"Leave," he said, before any of them could begin to speak. "I'm studying. Finals are coming up quickly. You should all be studying too.

And Roxas, don't even say you study with Axel, we all know what the two of you are _actually_ doing." The blond flushed red, some other the others snickering lightly, even Namine. "There. That's my contribution for the night, so please, leave me in peace." He said all this without ever even looking at the group, reading and talking at the same time.

"Let's just go," Axel said. "I mean, really, who wants a guy with a stick up his ass, anyway?"

Though a potential argument with Axel was normally, if it came to this point, enough to get him riled up and dragged out, Zexion made no response, uninterested in the bait.

After a few minutes, Vexen finally spoke. "He's obviously set on studying tonight, you know how scholars gets. Let's leave him be."

While Zexion mentally kissed Vexen's feet and the group grumbled and started leaving, he felt a soft touch on his shoulder. Looking up into soft blue eyes, he was surprised to find he had no trouble at all keeping a blank expression when faced with Namine's small smile. "You're not alone, Zexion," she said quietly. "I know what you're doing. Things will get better, though, I promise."

As the blond girl left, Zexion was chilled by her statement. She knew...? She knew what? Thinking over his actions of the past two weeks, Zexion realized what. He'd been avoiding everyone. Without even meaning to, he'd reverted back to his ways from before college. He ran his thumb over his cell phone, contemplating calling someone and apologizing, agreeing to go out with them. He almost did, before the memory of his last bitter argument with Demyx came to mind, and he brushed the thought of apologizing away.

It would end badly. Things like that always did. The human mind was twisted and willing to manipulate to whatever extent possible to get what it wanted. He was no exception. Hell, he was the farthest thing from the exception. Didn't he pride himself on his ability to manipulate those around him whenever he wished? It was always better to be alone. That way, no one had a chance to manipulate him, to use him and then throw him away when they'd gotten what they were after.

* * *

><p>Over the next month Zexion kept up his icy attitude toward his friends, and gradually they began to leave him alone. Axel was the first to pass by him without a glance, and Roxas was rather caught up in their still unfurling relationship. The others were harder to shake. Marluxia would still attempt conversation and Vexen would corner him whenever possible to try and find out what had happened to shut him back inside his shell. Namine, on the other hand, simply gave him a small, knowing smile whenever her gaze caught his.<p>

Finally, one day, his friends had had enough.

Marluxia stormed into his room, grabbed him out of his desk chair, and began towing him out of the dorm.

"M-Marluxia?" Zexion gasped in surprise as he was lifted onto the man's shoulder and carried when he tried to escape.

"Sorry, pretty boy," he said, using Axel's hated nickname for him in a rare moment of anger. "But you're starting to piss me off with this ice queen act. And Demyx hasn't been speaking to any of us, either. Which is even more abnormal that you being a prick. I don't know what the hell you said to him, and I'm sure he's just as guilty as you are, but the two of you are going to fix it and stop being recluses."

Demyx was being reclusive? Zexion had known he was avoiding him, but he had never imagined Demyx was avoiding their other friends as well. He didn't think the normally bright, sunny blond had it in him to avoid his friends.

Recognizing the struggling was pointless, Zexion slumped over Marluxia's shoulder and hoped that letting him carry all his deadweight would encourage him to let him walk on his own. But no such luck, and Zexion contented himself with studying Marluxia's pink wings up close. Were they dyed? It was a question he had been trying to figure out since he'd met the man. Marluxia carried Zexion all the way across the grounds between the freshmen and junior dorms (Many students, mostly sophomores as they passed their dorm, stared at this display.) and through his dorm until they reached his room. Axel and Vexen were standing outside the door to Marluxia and Vexen's room already, Axel with his trademark smirk.

"Dem's already in there," he informed Marluxia. "It took both of us, though. He put up one hell of a fight. But eventually he calmed down, and we let him know, ahh, everything he needed to."

Marluxia raised one pink eyebrow, but Vexen just shook his head, and Marluxia set Zexion down.

Before he could even consider escaping, he was shoved into the room and the door was quickly slammed shut behind him, the lock clicked. Considering the door, Zexion opened his mouth and yelled, "Who the hell has the lock on the outside of their room?"

Zexion listened to the cackling from the other side. "Swapped it this afternoon just for the two of you!" Marluxia jeered.

Zexion groaned, letting his head hit the door. "Did they tell you what they intended us to do?" a voice asked from behind Zexion. Looking back, he noticed Demyx sitting on Marluxia's bed, legs folded under him and looking pointedly away from the other occupant of the room.

Zexion hesitated before answering. "They want us to make up and stop being antisocial?" His voice raised at the end, turning the statement into a question.

"Not just that," Vexen said smugly from the other side of the door.

Zexion hesitated, not sure he wanted to hear what exactly they were supposed to do.

"Kiss and_ fucking_ make up!" Axel and Marluxia yelled at the same time, before all three started laughing.

"Are they implying what I think they are?" Zexion asked, wide-eyed, staring at the door.

"Just be glad that Marluxia fetched you. Axel explained to me, _in depth, exactly_ what they expected of us."

Another glance back at the dirty-blond revealed that he had crossed his arms over his chest and was pouting slightly. Zexion resisted the urge to laugh at the absolutely pitiful expression, but eventually his horror overruled his amusement. Deciding he had no other choice if he didn't want to be overheard by the others, he crossed the room and sat next to Demyx, leaving ample room between them. "So, any ideas how to get out of here?" he asked quietly.

Demyx shrugged, still refusing to looking at him. "Not really. You're the smart one. You figure it out."

Zexion had expected that one. He bit his lip, considering the options. "The way I see it, we either wait them out - and who knows how long that would take - or we fake, well, kissing and making up."

That finally caught Demyx's attention, who whipped his head around, teal eyes wide, mouth open.

Zexion was the one looking away, a blush flaring on his pale cheeks. "Any better ideas?"

Demyx's gaze dropped to his hands. "Not really..."

Zexion squeezed his eyes shut, slipped his right hand into his bangs and pulling lightly. He drew his wings tight against his back, trying to gather courage. Then he opened his mouth, and said, loudly enough so the others could hear, "Demyx, I'm...I'm so sorry about everything I said to you. I didn't really mean any of it." Demyx was astounded at the sincerity in the smaller boy's voice, and if he hadn't known it was fake, he would've been tricked as well. And since Zexion was making such an effort to get them out the situation, he figured he should as well.

"Zexy...?" Demyx said, his voice wavering slightly. They both cringed at the horrible nickname (Marluxia had attempted to use it once, and when Zexion hadn't spoken to him for a week, they'd all figured not to attempt to use it.) but persevered.

"You have no idea how sorry I am, Dem...You mean...so much to me. You could never know." Zexion's voice cracked on 'know' and he sounded almost like he was about to cry. Once again, Demyx marveled at his acting skills.

"Shh, Zexy," the larger boy hushed gently. "You weren't the only one in the wrong. Don't take all the blame, it's my fault, too. Could you ever forgive me?"

"O-Of course!" Zexion said hurriedly, voice surprised. "You were never to blame anyway! I'm just such a horrible person..." On the last sentence, his voice once again picked up the wavering that suggested tears. "D-Demyx?"

"Shh," the dirty-blond shushed again. "My sweet Zexion..."

They paused for a moment, and Zexion heard dead silence on the other side of the door. He fisted his hands in Demyx's shirt, pulling the larger boy on top of him and whispered in his ear, " Hold a position as if you're about to kiss me. They should open the door any second now."

Demyx did as instructed, letting his lips, parted slightly, rest just barely above Zexion's. Uncomfortable with so much pressure on his wings, Zexion shuffled around a moment, and found a decent position just in time. Just as predicted, they heard the clicking of the lock on the outside of the door, and then the three friends almost fell over themselves getting into the room, Axel managing to save his grace and lean, smirking, in the doorway, as he saw Zexion and Demyx. Marluxia and Vexen, on the other hand, ended up sprawled over each other on the floor, looking up at the bed with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Well," Axel said smugly. "Don't let us interrupt you. Please, continue as if we weren't here."

Zexion and Demyx's eyes locked, wide and horrified. They moved away from each other, Demyx crawling off of his companion.

"Uh-uh-uh~" Marluxia sing-songed. "You're not leaving until we see the hard evidence. Hearing is not enough."

Axel snickered at the subtle innuendo, but the two on the bed were too busy having a silent argument to notice. They both scowled, but Demyx seemed determined, Zexion a bit pleading. Suddenly, the larger wrapped one arm around Zexion's waist, between his shirt and wings, and the other around his back, careful not to apply to much pressure, connecting their mouths. Zexion made a noise of surprise, before his eyes closed and slipped his arms around Demyx's neck. When the dirty-blond asked for entrance, nipping lightly at Zexion's bottom lip, Zexion moaned softly despite himself, allowing the other what he desired.

Axel and Marluxia whooped loudly, red and pink wings spread wide in excitement, while Vexen smirked. Eventually, though, Marluxia pushed the two apart. "No sex on my bed. Please."

Demyx smirked sheepishly, and it made Zexion slightly nervous that he couldn't tell if it was part of the act or not. He stood up, turning back to face Zexion and offering his hand. "C'mon. I'll walk you back to your dorm room."

Blushing once again, Zexion took the offered hand and was pulled up off the bed, and Demyx laced their fingers. Axel was furiously texting, no doubt informing Roxas, who would then tell Namine, of their success. Marluxia and Vexen sat back and looked satisfied as the two younger boys left and walked toward the freshmen dorm.

* * *

><p>Once outside, and hopefully away form the eyes of their friends, Zexion and Demyx disconnected their hands. "That was..." Zexion started, but trailed off.<p>

"Strange?" Demyx offered. Zexion glanced over at him, and it unnerved him to see him looking so contemplative.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I guess that's really the only word for it."

The continued in silence for a moment, before a horrifying idea crept into Zexion's mind. "Are they going to expect us to act like a couple all the time now?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Demyx's expression change, but never saw the horror he thought would be the first reaction. Shock, contemplative again, confusion, realization, and finally a soft smile. "You know, Zex," Demyx started. At the nickname that Demyx had never used to address him before, Zexion started. And when he noticed the expression, panicked. Zexion bolted, running to his dorm and slamming the door closed when he got there.

His heart was pounding when he stood with his back against the door, then slowly sunk down the floor, cradling his head in his hands, letting his lilac wings splay against the floor. What was that? What had Demyx been about to say? Zexion was horribly afraid he knew the exact answer to that question, but refused to believe it. They didn't get along. They hated each other. They wanted to be as far apart as possible while going to the same college.

There was no way Demyx had been about to suggested they actually _did_ become a couple so they wouldn't have to act. That...That would be _asinine!_ Zexion groaned, not knowing what to do. He didn't deal well with these situations. This was when he ran away and hid behind a book and a cold mask. But...He felt like Demyx wouldn't let him do that. He was, after all, just as stubborn as the rest of his friends.

Wait...Had he just recognized Demyx as a friend? Zexion resisted the urge to scream. He had completely lost himself in that kiss, even though he knew it was all an act. Obviously Demyx had been enjoying it, too, since Marluxia had had to separate them.

Zexion had to resist the urge to scream. As it was, he threw himself onto his bed and muffled the yell in his pillow.

That night, in the dark where he felt safe with his thoughts, he admitted that there was something there. After all...He and Demyx _had_ always been able to get under each other's skin like no one else. Maybe that didn't just apply to fighting...

The lilac-haired college freshmen fell asleep that night, a very small smile on his face that he would have removed if he'd noticed it was there.

* * *

><p>The next day being Saturday, Zexion ventured to Demyx's room to apologize for running away. He knocked tentatively, hoping he was awake.<p>

The door opened, to his relief, but he tensed again as he saw who was opening the door. "Umm, hello, Saix," he said nervously. The blue-haired freshmen had always intimidated him a bit, despite never having been anything less than perfectly polite toward his roommate's tutor. He reminded him of himself, in that way, and Zexion wondered idly if his calm demeanor intimidated people he didn't know very well. But that was a matter for another time, he reminded himself, returning to the issue at hand at the other boy returned the greeting.

"Is Demyx in?" He shifted his weight from foot to foot.

Saix nodded slowly, his strangely yellow eyes narrowed. "He's here, but he's asleep. You wouldn't happen to know why he came back yesterday and refused to say a word to me, would you?" There was something dangerous underlying the outwardly innocent question, and Zexion suddenly felt his nervousness around the boy was well justified.

"Umm, actually, that's what I came to talk to him about..." Zexion trailed off unsurely, wary of the beastly undertones that had appeared in Saix's expression. The other boy seemed to reign it under control, though, and stepped aside to allow Zexion entrance.

"Well, I was just on my way out. If he's worse off when I come back," his yellow eyes narrowed even more dangerously, "there will be hell to pay."

"Yes, I understand," Zexion replied, surprising himself with how calm he sounded. After Saix closed the door, he walked over to Demyx's bed, sitting lightly on the edge of it and gently shaking Demyx's shoulder. "Hey, Demyx, wake up. I know it's Saturday, but it's almost noon."

Demyx's teal eyes opened slowly, struggling to focus on Zexion. He murmured something that sounded like a mangled version of his name, then the eyes closed again. Zexion sighed. "C'mon, Demyx, let's go. I...Have something to say that you should be coherent to hear, so, up. Come on, up."

"Zexion," Demyx mumbled, eyes opening again. The name was still slurred, but Zexion could understand. "What're ya doin'?"

"I need to tell you something."

Hearing that while half awake seemed to shake the rest of the cobwebs off his mind and Demyx sat up, propping his pillow up better to support his back. He looked wary, eyes traveling over Zexion's form. While Demyx studied him, Zexion couldn't help but recall the two small bumps he'd seen on Demyx's back through his shirt as he adjusted his pillow.

"...You ran away," he said flatly, his expression revealing nothing. Zexion sighed, knowing the tactic well, since it was one he used quite often.

"That's what I came to talk about, actually." He bit his lower lip, eyes on the bed sheet, then brought his eyes up to meet Demyx's. "I'm really sorry. You scared me. I knew what you were going to say from your expression, and I...I'm just sorry, okay?" He shifted his bangs over his face, looking away from Demyx.

His bangs were shifted back, to his surprise, and a warm hand cupped his cheek and lifted his head back up. "If you knew what I was going to say, why do you feel the need to apologize for running away?"

"Well, weren't you going to suggest that we just become a couple so we wouldn't have to act?"

Demyx laughed softly, surprising Zexion. "Actually, I was going to suggest we kill Marluxia slowly and painfully."

Zexion felt his face heat up in embarrassment at his misunderstanding. But then Demyx leaned close, whispering in his ear, "The whole couple thing was going to be my next question." Before Zexion could respond, Demyx was kissing him for the second time.

* * *

><p>"Zex, heads up!"<p>

Zexion looked up just in time to duck the beach ball that soared over his head. It's not like it would have hurt, but it was wet from being in the pool, and as of yet (Three days) Zexion had managed to avoid getting wet.

There were all spending a week at Marluxia's house, which was less of a house and more of a mansion. He had a huge pool out back, and enough spare bedrooms that no one had to worry about finding a hotel to stay in. Apparently the junior's father was some big shot businessman with a ton of money. The house had a gorgeous front lawn that was also huge. Zexion most appreciated the bench swing under a tree where he could sit in the shade, cuddle with Demyx, and read his book.

Just as his thoughts crossed the dirty-blond, he returned from the house, smiling at Zexion and his large, dirty-blond wings folded neatly against his back. Zexion, who was sitting in one of those white plastic chairs by the edge of the pool, smiled back, almost grinning when Demyx knelt and kissed him. He didn't struggle when he was lifted up, trusting Demyx not to drop him. His book was removed from his hands and Zexion didn't bother trying to get it back; there were more important things on his mind.

Demyx was walking, and Zexion assumed they were going back into the mansion to stumble into their shared bedroom. Instead, after a few strides, Demyx's arms disappeared from underneath him as Zexion was dropped into the pool. He gasped, coughing as he resurfaced and glared at all his laughing friends, Demyx in particular.

"Demyx!" he yelled, outraged, as he treaded water, despising the feeling of the water dragging his wings down. "What the hell was that for?"

Demyx only looked innocently at Zexion, while Axel was doubled over on the side of the pool, clutching his stomach as he laughed. After all, it wasn't every day Demyx did somethign to upset Zexion that was actually funny. Zexion smirked, however, his own anger momentarily forgotten, as Roxas pushed the redhead casually with his foot while looking in the other direction, sending the redhead rolling into the water as well.

Zexion allowed himself to chuckle as the redhead sputtered and choked, whining at his blond boyfriend, who sat with his feet dangling in the water and looking proud of himself. That is, until Axel grabbed his legs and yanked. Soon the whole group of friends were splashing and yelling, even Zexion participating in the water games, since he was already soaked.

At some point or another, Zexion crawled out, followed by his boyfriend. Demyx wrapped one arm around Zexion while he grabbed a towel, then wrapped both of them in it, but not before he folded his wings around his smaller boyfriend. Zexion shivered against Demyx's side, but grinned nonetheless.

They still fought, and when they did, it was horrible. They knew exactly how to hurt the other more than anyone else could ever hope to. But still, the rewards of sticking with the relationship were worth the few miserable days and nights it caused. They were few among many wonderful ones, after all. Demyx got mad, and though he was intimidating when he was angry, Zexion was never afraid of him.

Zexion reached up for a chaste kiss. "I love you," he said. "So much."

Demyx grinned and kissed him a bit more fiercely. "I love you too. More than you could ever know."

And so everyone was happy, at least for that summer. Zexion and Demyx, despite disliking each other for most of their freshmen year were happier than ever together. Axel and Roxas, who would never be pinned as a couple unless someone knew their habits of using insults as endearments. Marluxia and Vexen showed no sign of splitting up anytime soon. Even Namine had found someone that, while Marluxia didn't exactly approve of, she had grown to love.

For a few moments, all was right in the world.

* * *

><p>AN

Hey! So...My story for Zemyx Day kinda failed, reallty badly. I'm taking it down, and this is it's replacement. It's late, but I promise, it's much better!

I also like it much better. This thing has kinda become my baby. I really like this universe, so don't be surprise if you see more of it. And yeah...I had a lot of help with this. One of my absolutely awesome friends was there for me to bounce ideas off of almost constantly, and this would not be the same if I'd just tryed to spit it out on my own. So a huge thanks to her!

Would anyone be interested in seeing sister fics for this revolving around Axel and Roxas or Marluxia and Vexen? If enough people request it, it will be written and added as a second chapter to this one, and will probably take place the year after the summer this one ends. So, Marluxia and Vexen senior year, and the rest of the crew's senior year.

Drop me a review! I'm reallty excited to see people's opinions on this whole thing.

Love, as always,

Inju


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